Snap out of it, she told herself. “Yes?”
“It really is XO, Isabel,” he insisted. “I prefer Xavier, but it seems my fans prefer my initials. I’m not sure who started it, but it quickly caught on.”
It took another five minutes to convince her. By then she was shaking from head to toe.
“I love your voice,” she blurted.
“And I love yours,” he replied. “I’ve watched your video at least a dozen times, and when I found out you were in Boston, I decided to call and ask a favor. I also have a business proposition for you.”
“How did you find out I was in Boston? And how did you get my number?”
“I have a large staff. They’ve been looking for you.”
“Oh,” she said. She was so excited she could barely think. “What’s the favor?”
“I’m performing at The Garden Friday night.”
She knew The Garden. She’d been there before. It was a huge arena with maybe twenty thousand seats. It was an older facility, she remembered, but it had been updated and the acoustics were surprisingly good.
Xavier’s concerts were always sold out just minutes after tickets were offered for sale. The Boston concert was no exception. She was hoping that XO would offer her tickets, but as it turned out he offered her much more.
At the end of XO’s call Isabel thought her heart was going to explode, it was beating so fast. She ran down the steps. She found Nick and Dylan in the kitchen. They had architectural blueprints spread out on the table.
Nick was in the middle of asking a question but stopped when he saw Isabel’s face. Her cheeks were flushed.
“What’s the matter?” he asked.
“You’re not going to believe... I mean, I can’t believe it... It’s crazy,” she stammered. “Completely crazy...”
“Take a breath,” Dylan suggested. He pulled out a chair next to him for her to sit.
She inhaled deeply, then said, “It’s good news. But first things first. Michael’s out. You’re in, Nick, if you’ll agree.”
“Agree to what?” he asked.
“Agree to be my attorney if I need one to talk to Detective Samuel. It makes sense since you live in Boston. I know you travel for work, but you’re based here,” she hurried to add so he wouldn’t ask her why Michael had been booted.
“Sure, I’ll do it.”
She sat down, took another deep breath, and tried to slow her racing heartbeat. “Do you know who Xavier O’Dell is? He’s known as XO.”
“Isabel, we aren’t that old,” Dylan said, exasperated. “We know who he is. Everyone knows him.”
“Laurant loves him,” Nick said. “She swears she’d leave me in a heartbeat for the man she calls a sex god.”
Dylan laughed. “Sex god?”
“I can see that,” Isabel said, nodding. “He kinda is a sex god. The man oozes sex appeal.”
“What about him?” Dylan asked.
“He just called me.”
“The sex god called you?” Nick looked astonished. “Are you sure it really was XO?”
“He prefers to be called Xavier,” she said. “And yes, I’m sure it was him.”
Dylan leaned back in his chair. “What did he want?”